Belgium: All charges against Muslim Executive dropped

Belgium: All charges against Muslim Executive dropped

The Brussels court decided that all the suspects in the investigation into suspected fraud at the Belgian Muslim Executive will not be prosecuted. This was announced by the Brussels prosecution, who also said they will not appeal. The prosectuion itself had asked to drop charges for all those invovled except one. The prosection wanted to prosectue former chairman Benjelloul Kissi for embezzeling 1,000 euro, but the court saw no cause for it.

The investigation into suspected misdoings at the Muslim Executive began at the end of 2006, when it appeared that computer parts which were bought during the administration of the former chairman, Mohamed Boulif, could not be located by the Executive.

There was also talk of a suspicious transfer to Nizar Trabelsi, who was convicted of terrorism. In January 2007 Boulif sat in jail for a week but he was released when the computer parts turned out to be present in the premises of the Executive.

During the investigation into Boulif, the Brussels detectives discovered other financial issues at the Executive that they found suspicious. The French-speaking deputy chairman of the Executive, Benjeloul Kissi, was suspected of forgery, misuse of company goods and embezzlement. He spent a night in jail in December 2006.

In September 2007, examining magistrate Claise sealed the premises of the Muslim Executive and appointed a temporary administrator.

Benjeloul Kissi again ended up in jail and the Muslim Executive's financial NPO, Beheer en Financiën, was named the legal suspect.

In February 2008,the chairman of the NPO and the Muslim Executive, Coskun Beyazgül, and the treasurer of the NPO, Atila Aydoglu, were suspected of forgery, use of forgery and misuse of company goods.

In November 2008, after the investigation was concluded, the Brussels prosecution announced that Benjelloul Kissi alone would be prosecuted for embezzling 1,000 euro out of Beheer en Financiën. There was insufficient evidence for all other crimes that he and the others involved were suspected of.

The Brussels court decided on Tuesday that it shares this conviction. According to the court it was insufficiently demonstrated that the suspects intended any wrong. The Belgian State, which was a civil party to the suit, had to admit that though the administration of the Executive was disastrous, there was no criminal intent. Benjelloul Kissi will therefore not be prosecuted either.

Source: HLN (Dutch)